Global circumstance goes bad and gas price rises so that a solar cell configured to convert the energy of sunlight directly, which is a kind of an infinite clean energy, into electricity by the photovoltaic effect receives public attention.
The solar cell is a device that converts the energy of sunlight directly into electricity.
Since the solar cell has different structure from a conventional chemical battery, the solar cell is sometimes called ‘physical battery’.
The solar cell uses two kinds of semiconductor material, i.e., P-type and N-type semiconductors, to generate electricity.
In detail, if the sun lights up the solar cell, electrons and holes are generated in the solar cell. These electronic charges are moved to P or N electrode. Because of movements of electronic charges, there is potential difference between the P and N electrodes. This photovoltaic effect makes electricity, and a current may flows through a load if the load is coupled to the solar cell.
According to manufactured materials, the solar cell can be roughly split into two types: one includes a silicon semiconductor; and the other includes a compound semiconductor.
Herein, the silicon semiconductor may be divided into a morphous (crystalline) type and an amorphous type. Recently, various types of silicon semiconductor are newly developed
Regarding of technology related to the solar cell, much of the industry is focused on the most cost efficient technologies in terms of cost per generated power by increasing efficiency of the solar cell.
For example, solar cells having an efficiency of at least 20% or thin solar cells de-creasing their cost per unit area have been developed.
Presently, a silicon semiconductor is generally used for the solar cells. Particularly, a single crystal solar cell or a poly crystal solar cell made from a morphous silicon semiconductor is widely used because it has high efficiency and reliability.
Among various type solar cells, a morphous silicon solar cell using a silicon wafer is widespread-commercially used. Herein, the morphous silicon solar cell has an efficiency of over 15% which is one of highest efficiencies in commercial devices.
Many methods for manufacturing the morphous silicon solar cell are suggested, but it is most widely used to form an electrode through a screen printing technique.
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional method for manufacturing a morphous silicon solar cell is described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the solar cell includes a P-N junction formed based on a silicon wafer substrate 10. There are an N+ layer 20 formed on an upper surface of the silicon wafer substrate 10 and a P+ layer 50 attached to a lower surface of the silicon wafer substrate 10.
Over the N+ layer 20, a foreside electrode 40 and an anti reflection layer are formed. Under the P+ layer 50, the reverse side electrode 60 is formed by using an aluminum (AL) paste.
A tapping electrode 70 configured to solder a tab for electronically connecting each solar cell to a solar cell module is formed by a screen printing technique. For completion, an annealing process performed in a temperature of 900 to 1000° C.
As above described, the conventional solar cell receives sunlight so that electrons and holes are generated. Referring to FIG. 1, these electrons and holes move to P+ layer and N+ layer so that difference between potentials of the P+ layer and the N+ layer is occurred. If a load is coupled to a solar cell, current may flow due to the difference between potential.
Herein, an aluminum paste using for electrodes is formed as following processes. During the annealing process, III-family aluminum (AL) is diffused into the silicon wafer substrate 10 to form a back surface field (BSF) as the P+ layer. Silicon wafer is electrically contacted to the aluminum paste.
Additionally, an aluminum electrode can be functioned as improving an internal field, blocking recombination of electrons, gathering holes as a majority carrier, and reflecting long wavelength sheen of sunlight.
In order to improve back-surface field (BSF) characteristics and electricity included in the aluminum electrode, a thickness of the aluminum electrode should be increased. However, as the thickness is increased, the aluminum electrode may become plastic during a module assembly process. Further, if a bowing phenomenon can be occurred, an electrical performance of the solar cell goes bad and a silicon wafer is destroyed.